Spiritual healer raped woman after tricking her into bed in “purifying” ritual

Syed Shah conned a 28-year-old mum into having sex with him as part of a spiritual healing ritual to help her marriage woes.

The conman also convinced the woman to sacrifice a goat and pay him £6,000 as part of the ritual to “purify” her relationship with her husband.

Shah, 30, from Birmingham, was jailed for 12 years for two charges of rape and one of fraud and will be registered a sex offender for life.

When she visited his home and told him that nothing had changed he told her that there were more rituals to be carried out – and part of the process involved having sex with him.

The woman had sex with Shah on two occasions, and also gave him £6,000.

But she began to feel uncomfortable about what was going on and concerned that she was being unfaithful to her husband.

Shah had previously sexually assaulted another woman while performing a healing ritual.

Giving evidence, Shah – who denied being a spiritual healer – claimed he had been contacted by the woman through her brother, and that she had only come to his home once alone when she had asked him to kill her mother-in-law.

He denied having sex or taking any money from her.

Shah was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was ordered to pay the woman £10,000 in compensation.

Judge Patrick Thomas QC said: “This was a vile set of offences.

“You abused the high reputation that your family name gave you within the community in order to have your will with a perfectly decent and respectable young woman who had the misfortune to be vulnerable because of her personal circumstances.

“You took advantage of her both sexually and financially.

“You have behaved in a manner that any right-thinking person would regard as not just grossly hypocritical but abusive to a very high degree.